Bio and Artist's Statement
i was first exposed to ceramics as a high school student, taking coursework at the Chrysler School of Art in Norfolk, VA. I continued coursework in ceramics each semester as an undergraduate at the University of Maryland, as I earned my degree in Art History. After a brief absence from clay to earn a Masters degree in American Material Culture Studies, I returned to ceramics in earnest, taking a number of workshops and short courses to refine my skills.
Even while pursuing a degree in Art History, which mostly ignored ceramic art, I realized it was the clay vessel that moved me the most. When I try to figure out why that might be, I come up with the concept of intimacy. A handmade pot is an intimate object. From the hands of the potter to those of the user, a simple pot, or a beautifully embellished pot will enrich and elevate small daily ritual, perhaps becoming a venerated object in the personal space of home. As I make pots, on the wheel or out of slabs, I picture them being used, socially or quietly, hopefully contributing in some way to the enjoyment of the moment, whether offering food, sharing a drink or adorning a table. A piece of pottery is a vessel for sharing.
To me, ceramic art sometimes evokes a response that is visceral. Terms of personification are often used to describe a successful pot—it has life, it breaths. These descriptions of animation are intuitively understood because we can feel those very gestures and tensions in the ways our bodies can move. We sometimes understand our bodies and our souls as vessels. These are intimate associations.
I especially love the surface of the wood-fired pot where the paths of flame and ash are recorded as a narrative that draws you in to look closer--the flame touched the pot here, the ash fell on the pot here.
These are the components of clay that grabbed me so long ago and still compel me today to be a maker of functional ceramics. I want to contribute in a quiet but meaningful way to the simple, daily rituals--the moments that enrich our lives, because life's simple pleasures really are the best. I hope that whoever uses my pots might be prompted to enjoy an aesthetic pause, especially in the midst of the sensory bombardment that fills our world today. Maybe this is the whole reason to own and use a handmade object.
Membership:
Juried member: Washington Ceramic Guild
Montgomery Potters
My work can be found in Scope Gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA, or by appointment in my studio.
i was first exposed to ceramics as a high school student, taking coursework at the Chrysler School of Art in Norfolk, VA. I continued coursework in ceramics each semester as an undergraduate at the University of Maryland, as I earned my degree in Art History. After a brief absence from clay to earn a Masters degree in American Material Culture Studies, I returned to ceramics in earnest, taking a number of workshops and short courses to refine my skills.
Even while pursuing a degree in Art History, which mostly ignored ceramic art, I realized it was the clay vessel that moved me the most. When I try to figure out why that might be, I come up with the concept of intimacy. A handmade pot is an intimate object. From the hands of the potter to those of the user, a simple pot, or a beautifully embellished pot will enrich and elevate small daily ritual, perhaps becoming a venerated object in the personal space of home. As I make pots, on the wheel or out of slabs, I picture them being used, socially or quietly, hopefully contributing in some way to the enjoyment of the moment, whether offering food, sharing a drink or adorning a table. A piece of pottery is a vessel for sharing.
To me, ceramic art sometimes evokes a response that is visceral. Terms of personification are often used to describe a successful pot—it has life, it breaths. These descriptions of animation are intuitively understood because we can feel those very gestures and tensions in the ways our bodies can move. We sometimes understand our bodies and our souls as vessels. These are intimate associations.
I especially love the surface of the wood-fired pot where the paths of flame and ash are recorded as a narrative that draws you in to look closer--the flame touched the pot here, the ash fell on the pot here.
These are the components of clay that grabbed me so long ago and still compel me today to be a maker of functional ceramics. I want to contribute in a quiet but meaningful way to the simple, daily rituals--the moments that enrich our lives, because life's simple pleasures really are the best. I hope that whoever uses my pots might be prompted to enjoy an aesthetic pause, especially in the midst of the sensory bombardment that fills our world today. Maybe this is the whole reason to own and use a handmade object.
Membership:
Juried member: Washington Ceramic Guild
Montgomery Potters
My work can be found in Scope Gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA, or by appointment in my studio.
Juried Shows
Proximity, Rockville Clay Coop, Juror Judit Varga, 2019
Workhouse Clay International, Juror Peter Beasecker, 2019
Creative Craft Council 32nd Biennial, Strathmore Mansion, Bethesda, MD, 2019
Tabletop: Art League, Alexandria, VA, Juror Cathi Jefferson, 2018
Vessels, Capitol Hill Art League, Juror Chris Cooley, 2017
Proximity, Rockville Clay Coop, Juror, Katherine White, 2016
At Your Service: Baltimore Clayworks, Juror, Linda Arbuckle, 2016
Creative Craft Council 30th Biennial: Strathmore Mansion, Bethesda, MD
Tabletop: Art League, Alexandria, VA, Juror, Tony Clennell 2014
“Battle of the Bowls”: Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg, VA, Juror, Kevin Crowe, 2014
“Experience Transformation”—Baltimore Clayworks / Creative Alliance: Curators Brett Freund and Sarah McCann: 2014
Creative Craft Council 29th Biennial Exhibition, Strathmore Mansion,
Artists at Work: Smithsonian Dillon Ripley Center, Juror, Jack Rasmussen, 2000
Awards:
The Montgomery Potters Award, Strathmore Mansion, 2013
Proximity, Rockville Clay Coop, Juror Judit Varga, 2019
Workhouse Clay International, Juror Peter Beasecker, 2019
Creative Craft Council 32nd Biennial, Strathmore Mansion, Bethesda, MD, 2019
Tabletop: Art League, Alexandria, VA, Juror Cathi Jefferson, 2018
Vessels, Capitol Hill Art League, Juror Chris Cooley, 2017
Proximity, Rockville Clay Coop, Juror, Katherine White, 2016
At Your Service: Baltimore Clayworks, Juror, Linda Arbuckle, 2016
Creative Craft Council 30th Biennial: Strathmore Mansion, Bethesda, MD
Tabletop: Art League, Alexandria, VA, Juror, Tony Clennell 2014
“Battle of the Bowls”: Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg, VA, Juror, Kevin Crowe, 2014
“Experience Transformation”—Baltimore Clayworks / Creative Alliance: Curators Brett Freund and Sarah McCann: 2014
Creative Craft Council 29th Biennial Exhibition, Strathmore Mansion,
Artists at Work: Smithsonian Dillon Ripley Center, Juror, Jack Rasmussen, 2000
Awards:
The Montgomery Potters Award, Strathmore Mansion, 2013